Firsts in the El Paso Desert
by whoevenareyou
Summary: For day one of bluepulse week: stargazing. The El Paso desert is a great place for stargazing, cuddling, and a first kiss.


**AN: for day one of bluepulse week: stargazing**

 **Thanks fire-fira and necromancy-enthusiast over on tumblr for looking at this for me :)**

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The first time Jaime took Bart stargazing, it was in the El Paso desert. The stars shined more clearly here than they did where either of them lived, and it wasn't too far from Jaime's place, so it was the perfect location.

The two of them laid down on the dirt, and Jaime stared at Bart, while Bart stared at the sky. Bart's eyes twinkled brighter than the stars. That might have been because there were tears stinging at the corners of Bart's eyes.

Jaime's first instinct was to apologize for bringing Bart here. He hadn't meant to make him cry. Khaji Da stopped him before he said anything, though.

[The Bart Allen is not distressed, Jaime Reyes. He is currently exhibiting signs of happiness.]

Jaime looked at Bart again, who still hadn't taken his eyes off of the sky. This time Jaime noticed a soft smile on Bart's face that confirmed that the tears in his eyes were happy ones. Bart eventually spoke with his eyes still glued to the stars.

"It's not like I haven't seen stars before… I mean, I've been in the past for a while now, but I don't know, I guess I never really _looked_. This is so crash. I could stay here for days just looking at this." He stretched out his arms in an exaggerated gesture towards the sky before letting them drop back down to his sides.

"Well, we can do this again? If you want to?" Jaime shifted his weight onto one of his elbows so he was facing Bart.

Bart finally took his eyes off the sky to look at Jaime, his lips still turned up in a grin.

"It's a date."

That night, they laid there for hours. They talked about anything and everything under the sun- or stars.

…

The first time Bart saw a shooting star, it was in the El Paso desert. They had been waiting for one to appear all night. They had agreed that whoever saw a shooting star first would get to have the other buy them food the next time they hung out.

After a while, Jaime started to doze off, but he was startled awake.

"Jaime!" Bart swatted his arm at Jaime's chest to get his attention. He'd accidentally swung his arm a little too forcefully, and would have knocked the wind out of Jaime if it weren't for Khaji Da encasing his chest in armor before Bart's palm made contact.

[Jaime Reyes, you must tell your comrade to exude caution. It is not advisable to be jolted awake in this manner.]

"Ay, que pasó?" Jaime asked groggily, but he saw Bart was already pointing at the sky.

"I saw a shooting star!" Bart was sitting upright and bouncing in place with excitement. "I want chicken whizzies and pizza." He smirked.

After that, it was tradition that whoever saw a shooting star first would have the other treat them for their next excursion. Whoever missed the shooting star had to choose what they would do, and pay for it. They had plenty of adventures this way. They would go to the movies, to restaurants, to Costco for the free samples (Bart was broke and couldn't pay for much). They went to the state fair in states they'd never been to. They went to parks and to the beach and escape rooms and museums.

Jaime almost always got stuck paying, but that was only because he refused to announce a shooting star when Khaji Da saw one. He felt like that was cheating, since Khaji Da could scan and know where to look, and he could see farther than either Jaime or Bart.

No one was really sure if these were dates or not, and both Jaime and Bart were too nervous to ask.

…

The first time Jaime and Bart held hands, it was in the El Paso desert. They had been coming here once a week to look at the stars and talk. They hadn't missed a week since that first night.

When Bart put his hand on top of Jaime's, his cheeks flushed and the beetles in his stomach fluttered in all different directions. It was a good thing Jaime was laying down, or he might have stumbled from the weak knees.

When the winter months came, hand holding turned into cuddling. They wouldn't go a week without meeting in the desert and sharing their body heat until they fell asleep in eachother's arms.

…

The first time Khaji Da admitted to experiencing human emotions, it was in the El Paso desert. Jaime showed up at the usual time, but Bart wasn't there. Bart was the only one in the speedster family who was never late. He was usually already there by the time Jaime showed up.

[It is unlike Bart Allen to fall behind schedule. Immediate investigation is required.]

"I'm sure he has a good reason for bailing. He's probably held up on a mission or something. I'll text him." Jaime said, his disappointment apparent in his tone. He pulled out his phone and sent a quick text to Bart.

 _Hey, everything okay? Where are you?_

[A text message is not a sufficient method of investigation, Jaime Reyes. We must search for the Bart Allen immediately.]

Jaime felt his body engulfed in the suit without his permission.

"Khaji, calm down! Just give it a few minutes, he'll be here soon. What's going on with you?"

[The Bart Allen may be in danger, Jaime Reyes. Standing idly by is an unacceptable course of action.]

Just then, a gust of air blew towards them, and a very out of breath Bart appeared in front of Jaime. Khaji Da released a small burst of energy that felt like as close to a sigh of relief as he could get. It was like a release of tension for him.

"Sorry, sorry, Flash needed my help with a mission. I thought I could make it in time! Ah, do you hate me? I'm sorry!" He got all that out in one breath so fast that Jaime wouldn't have understood were it not for Khaji Da translating.

"Hey, hey, it's okay, Bart. You're literally two minutes late, dude. No one's mad at you."

[Speak for yourself, Jaime Reyes.]

"What? Are you mad?"

[The Bart Allen's actions were inconsiderate. He should have sent notice ahead of time that he would be arriving late.]

"Why would I be mad?" Bart tilted his head in confusion. Even after all the time they'd been friends, Bart still sometimes assumed Jaime was addressing him when he was talking to Khaji Da.

"I was talking to Khaji Da. He's… a little irritated. He tried to get me to suit up and look for you after 30 seconds." Jaime laughed. Bart responded with a smirk, and put a hand on Jaime's shoulder, but he didn't address Jaime.

"Aw, Khaji, were you worried about me?"

Khaji Da responded almost before Bart finished his sentence.

[Yes.]

Jaime's jaw dropped in a smile, and Bart got the message. His smirk faded, though, and he looked guilty.

"I'm sorry, Khaji… next time, I'll give you a heads up. Can you forgive me?"

Jaime released control over to Khaji Da so he could answer without needing Jaime as a middle man.

"Yes."

…

The first time Bart kissed anyone, it was in the El Paso desert.

This time, Jaime was already there waiting when Bart arrived. Bart had no idea how long Jaime had been there. He was fidgeting, and looked more awkward than usual.

"Hey, you okay Jaime?"

Jaime responded by moving closer to Bart, and reaching for his hands. Then he just stood there with Bart's hands in his own and took a deep breath.

"I have two things… two things I want to say. I wanna- I want to tell you something, and then I have something I want to… ask you?" Jaime stumbled over his words and Bart squeezed his hands to let him know it was okay.

"Anything, Jaime. What's going on?"

Jaime took another quakey breath before continuing. "Bart, I… I love you. I want to…" he pulled a hand away from Bart's to rub the back of his neck as if it would make him feel less vulnerable. "I want to be with you, Bart. That's what I wanted to ask you. Do you - mmh -"

Bart closed the space in between their bodies at super speed, and rushed into a kiss before Jaime finished asking. His hands were cupping Jaime's cheeks, and when he pulled away, Jaime almost fell forward towards Bart from the lack of contact.

"Yes! Yes, god, Jaime, yes."

"Yes?" Jaime practically squealed.

[I told you he would say yes, Jaime Reyes.]

Jaime didn't think Bart would say no, but finally hearing Bart say it instead of Khaji Da made it real. Jaime softly gripped Bart by the waist and quickly pulled him close again, then gave Bart a bunch of quick kisses on his forehead, cheeks, and lips.

They spent that night kissing and cuddling until the sun came up. When Bart finally sped away, Jaime waited for a moment before flying back to let it sink in. He couldn't believe this night had actually happened.

After only a few seconds, though, Bart was back.

"Jaime! OhmygoshIcan'tbelieveItotallyforgottotellyou-"

"Despacito, Bart. What is it?" Jaime laughed, and Bart just smiled and stood on his tip toes so he could give Jaime a proper forehead kiss.

"I love you, too, Jaime."

...

The first time Jaime realized he was going to marry his best friend, it was in the El Paso desert.

It wasn't some big moment that brought on the realization. They were cuddling on a blanket over the dirt, and looking at each other instead of at the stars. Bart's arms were wrapped around Jaime's neck, Jaime's arms around Bart's waist, their foreheads touching, and Bart was struggling to keep his eyes open. He was rambling like he did when he was tired. He sounded like he was already half asleep.

"I love you, Jaime. You smell kinda bad. You're cute. Khaji Da, why don't you ever smell bad? That's weird. I also love you, too, as well… I think you'll age a lot better than me. You'll be way out of my league when we're old, I bet. I wonder if you'll still love me when I'm ugly and you're still beautiful…" he trailed off.

[The Bart Allen's prediction is flawed. It is accurate in that your body will not externally age as quickly as the Bart Allen's, but his prediction assumes that physical attraction is the top priority, which is not the case. Tell the Bart Allen that we will never be 'out of his league,' Jaime Reyes.]

"Always, cariño. Khaji says even when you're ugly we won't be out of your league…" Jaime chuckled, but Bart didn't hear his answer. He was already snoring.

Jaime saw a shooting star that night, and made a mental note to let Bart know he'd be planning and paying for their next date.

Soon enough, though, Jaime found himself wishing he had left it alone, because Bart wouldn't tell Jaime what he was planning. He said it would be a surprise. Jaime didn't even know _when_ the date would happen.

The next day, when Jaime got home from a mission, he threw himself into his bed. Despite it having been a soft mission, he was very tired. When he laid down, he saw a note pinned to his ceiling. He pulled it down to see what was written on it.

 _Meet me at the place it all began._

Khaji Da shot a small amount of adrenaline through Jaime's body so he'd be awake enough to go. Khaji was clearly excited for this date, even if Jaime felt like he could use a nap.

When Jaime got to the desert, he saw Bart already waiting for him. He landed in front of Bart and suited down.

"If you're too broke to plan a date, all you had to do was say so." Jaime smiled as he spoke, and there was no sting in his tone.

Bart laughed nervously. He was fidgeting with his hands, and he was more jittery than usual. He seemed to be plagued by something.

"Hey, mi cariño, baby, no te preocupes. I'm just joking. What's wrong?" Jaime put his hands on Bart's shoulders, and Bart took Jaime's hands and squeezed.

"Jaime… I have two things I want to say." Bart's nervous energy quickly disappeared, and was replaced with a huge smile that he couldn't seem to wipe from his face. "There's something I want to tell you, and then I have something I want to ask you."

Bart's smile was contagious, because now Jaime's lips stretched to his ears, too. Bart lifted his gaze away from Jaime to stare up at the stars.

"This place is really special to me. Where I come from, I didn't ever get to look at stars like this. This is where I got to really appreciate what the past had to offer. It's where I first saw a shooting star. It's where I had my first kiss. It's where I got my first boyfriend. It's where I first heard someone tell me they love me…" Bart paused to wipe a tear from his eye, and since he was still holding Jaime's hand, it was both of their fingers that wiped the tear away.

"And this place is crash, but it's not what makes all that so special, it's you… and it was you who I shared all these firsts with. God, I am so in love with you, every bit of you. And I can't even begin to imagine my life without you." Bart paused again, this time so he could get down on one knee. Now they were both crying. Bart struggled to get the words out clearly, but he soldiered on anyway, tears and all.

"So… I guess what I wanted to tell you is that… I want to spend the rest of my life with you. I want to start a family with you and grow old with you, and-"

Jaime's knees gave out, and he fell onto them so he was level Bart. Both of them had tears streaming down their faces. Jaime covered his mouth with his hands because he didn't know what else to do with them, and Bart laughed.

"Babe, wait, I'm not done. I still have something I want to ask you." Bart pulled a ring box out of his pocket and opened it up.

"Will you marry me?"

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Translations

Que pasó- what happened

Despacito- slowly

Mi cariño- my love

No te preocupes- don't worry


End file.
